WSP Links Up with Aker Solutions for First US HVDC Offshore Wind Farm

August 3, 2023, by Adnan Memija

WSP USA has been named the professional engineer for the offshore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter platform for Sunrise Wind Farm, the first US offshore wind project that will use HVDC technology.

Sunrise Wind Offshore Converter Station; Image source: Siemens Energy

Sunrise Wind is owned by a partnership between Ørsted Offshore North America, a Danish multinational power company; and Eversource Energy, a New England-based energy company.

The HVDC system will be delivered by a consortium between Siemens Energy and Aker Solutions, with Siemens Energy responsible for delivering the system on a turnkey basis and providing onshore civil work in partnership with local companies, and Aker Solutions contracted to deliver the offshore platform which consists of a steel jacket substructure, and a topside platform deck housing the electrical equipment.

WSP is providing engineering services to Aker Solutions to assist in designing the HVDC platform, ensuring that the design complies with applicable US codes and standards.

While HVDC technology is currently used in the US, Sunrise Wind is the first US offshore wind project to use HVDC to transmit offshore wind energy.

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A submarine transmission cable stretching nearly 100 miles (about 161 kilometres) will connect the offshore energy production facility to a power grid located in Holbrook, New York.

Work on the onshore substation has already begun and the construction of the 17-mile onshore transmission route will begin later this year, according to Sunrise Wind.

Located about 50 kilometres east of Long Island, Sunrise Wind will generate enough clean energy to power nearly 600,000 New York homes every year and support the state in meeting its 100 per cent clean electricity goal for 2040.